Last night (Sunday) i was guesting on the podcast--a semi-regular occurrance over the winter months. We’d been off for a few holiday weeks, and so coming back, we were rappin’ news we’d missed. One of the items was the recent ‘Bayonetta 2 situation’--i.e. sales of the game soared following the Smash announcement, and people like me--people who’d planned to buy the game eventually--found ourselves SHUT OUT when the game became suddently, unexpectedly (and COMPLETELY) unavailable in any physical form. No Gamestop, no ToysRus, no Target. Nobody had copies anywhere.

This, obviously, opens me to a certain form of criticism. One might argue that if I intended to buy Bayonetta 2, I should have done so in TWO THOUSAND FOURTEEN--not waited more than an entire year to make up my mind. But sincerely, my intentions were pure. I can tell B2 would be the kind of game I’ll enjoy, so i’ve sort of been ‘saving’ it for a later date. And saving. And saving. Many of you have heard me mention that I want to play it…i just never got around to buying it. Hand on my heart--I really was going to, eventually.

(At this point, i need to clarify--if push came to shove, I would have bought it in digital format, but i generally try to save HD space by only buying smaller games from the eShop, and still go “physical” for the bigger stuff. I also maintain a lively eBay channel where i resell some games when I’m finished with them, so physical copies are obviously my medium of choice).

So, during Just Another Castle podcast, I was venting re: this extremely first world problem....when one of the regular hosts, Mike (http://www.twitch.tv/troyfullbuster) happened to do a quick GameStop search, and discovered that a copy had become available in Philadelphia---my home city!?! I’d checked numerous times myself, but no denying it--the website now showed “low stock available” at a store just eight miles from my house. Being that this took place at 10 PM, i needed to wait until today to check it out…..but I had hope. (You can hear all of this happen live on the podcast, episode 42, if you don’t believe me!)

SO......... I called GS today (10 AM), and the store staff were super helpful. They said someone had turned in a copy of Bayonetta 2 just before closing last night, and since I was the first caller, said they’d hold the game for me for a few hours….but then… (drumroll)…….they COULDNT FIND THE DISCS. They had the box….just not the game. I immediately expected the worst--I assumed an employee might have taken it home, knowing how valuable it’s recently become. After putting me on hold for twenty minutes while they searched the store, they promised to call me if it turned up, but I honestly wasn’t expecting anything. Seemed like the valuable game had slipped through my fingers.

HAPPY ENDING!!! Then, tonight, around 5 PM--having searched the entire store and every drawer--the GameStop staff finally found the discs laying (misfiled) in a break room cabinet. They couldnt explain it--it seemed like someone just screwed up. They called me as promised--stating “the telephone hasn’t stopped ringing about this game all day, we’re pulling it from the website but will hold it for you”, and I raced across the city.

THAT IS MY HAND HOLDING THAT GAME!!!

I really still can’t believe it worked out. I’m putting the game into my fireproof safe until I’m ready to play it!!!

For real, I still plan on saving it a bit longer (I never learn), especially with a relatively quiet 2016 WiiU launch schedule. But I’ve got it laid away for a rainy day, and it’s all thanks to the guys at Just Another Castle podcast and a few VERY KIND Gamestop employees (shout out to Lucas, the manager who helped me out!!!!!!)

As the excitement builds for the final Smash direct, wondering who your final predictions and wishlist may be.

List your guesses, predictions, or last-ditch wishlist below in the comments......................then, if you get em right, you can point to this blog and say I TOLD YOU SO ITS RIGHT THERE IN WRITING ON UNOCLAY'S BLOG!!!

PS. If anything gets leaked between now and the direct, PLEASE do not post it here--I'm trying to avoid spoilers.

This blog is just a fun way to bat around some unconfirmed ideas while I ride out the workday and wait for the official announcements.

Given the state of the community right now, I’m not going to spend hours writing a blog with nuance and subtleties, only to receive 3 comments. Not that I don’t appreciate the 3 comments—I sincerely do. And if I had more time, perhaps I’d disregard care for the “comment” response rate. But I don’t, so I wont, so read on, fwiw.

Picked up Angry Video Game Nerd’s debut video game to play during a ride to the southern USA with my family. I’d been waiting to get this one until the right time presented itself; I tend to play my WiiU almost every day at home, but much less 3DS (mostly reserved for breaks at work and longer trips). Therefore, I tend to mostly buy new portable games for certain occasions. It was a pleasant surprise that AVGN was on sale when I logged in on Thanksgiving eve; according to the eShop, it will remain on sale (I think it was $10) until December 2.

$10 is a supremely fair price for this game, IMHO. Considering I’ve been watching AVGN’s videos for years (he’s by far one of my favorite youtubers, and almost certainly the one I’ve watched the most), it’s strange to realize that this is the first time I ever gave him any direct money. Weird world we live in, no? I mean, I know clicking the videos drops him a few pennies, and I did get his autograph at a game convention a few years ago (i.e. my ticket price surely ‘paid’ him a few cents on the dollar), but this is like saying “yes, here’s my credit card, I support you” in a more direct sense. So I was glad to do it, even if the game was middling. Thankfully, I'm happy to report, it's much better than that!

This platforming game is tough—no bones about it. Similar to the classic NES etc games he parodies, AVGN’s own title nods to the era when kids threw controllers into the television and wept real tears over impossible game challenges. Not that this game isn’t fair—it mostly IS. Which is strange and interesting, since he’s walking a line of tribute and parody of older games—but the designers definitely needed to improve the standards we experienced in the 1980s. So, instead of being ‘unfair’, it’s often extremely tough. The game follows the classic Nintendo level design of start easy > > multiply the enemies > > add another element > > now it’s getting tougher > > BRUTAL DIFFICULTY AND INSANE BOSS. Thankfully, there are checkpoints throughout each level, but you’ll still need to work really hard to reach each one, and you’ll often find yourself with a death-grip on the controller as you near the final sections of the level.

In one of the best LOL moments I've found so far....you kill Santa and go sledding on his corpse. Yep.

The layout follows the classic megaman “pick a path” layout—the opening menu has 8 different levels (all based on comical riffs relating to classic games or genres) and there appears to be a final boss area that I haven’t unlocked yet. Playing on “normal” difficulty (don’t worry, there is an easy option for little babies), you get 30 lives, unlimited continues. This means you need to beat a level in 30 lives or less, but if you die, you continue from the menu—you’ll need to do the stage all over again (but ones you’ve already cleared remain clear). This setting will be tough enough for almost anyone—I typically play a level, lose all 30 lives, then start over and am able to beat it on the second try—but often only with perhaps 5 (or less) lives remaining after the boss. Others will probably need a few more attempts, and naturally, some levels are tougher than others.

I’ve only beaten 4 levels so far, but they all made me laugh, and I really enjoyed what I found in the game. AVGN provides in-game commentary via textbox (no voice acting here—only classic NES text boxes), and please note: anyone under 15 should NOT be playing this game—it’s as potty-mouthed as his videos, and reads like a “greatest quotes” of AVGN slander, insults, and outright insanity. But, me personally, the commentary stuff is actually just a side bonus to the main attractioin---I’m mainly loving and enjoying the mega-man styled platforming and difficulty---in spite of what the Nerd is saying in/about his own game (i.e. This Game Sucks **** Out of a Donkey’s ********!”, etc), the title is actually pretty good.

All your favorite game universes come crashing together for the nerd to review and despise

I’d recommend grabbing this game if you enjoy platformers, retro games, or the nerd’s specific brand of grotesquely overstated fury. I was especially glad to have this title to distract my attention during a 10 hour drive with my parents….I mean, I love my family, but a 2 hour traffic jam (only 30 minutes into the trip) combined with your standard family comments/personalities/debates/bickering left me quite satisfied to leap into the Nerd’s universe for some punishment and comedy.

Happy Thanksgiving, Nerds!

UPDATED FOR LOYAL READERS--here's the proof from the time I met AVGN--autographed copy of Friday the 13th, OH YEAH!!

I'm not planning on spending a ton of time describing and talking about this experience; I am primarily posting this blog for my own documentation of the best games I played this past weekend.

Suffice to say, if you're even a casual fan of upright classic arcade games, you might have heard of Funspot--one of the largest arcade versions in the world. Located in an out-of-the way small town in New Hampshire, USA, Funspot actually claims to be the biggest arcade in the world, but I'm always suspicious about claims like this without some outside verification--do they mean floor space? # of games in their collection? What about Japan--there's no 'bigger' arcade there?

ANYWAY, no matter the statistical giganticness, I'm a huge fan of the place. Huge. This was my 3rd visit (pretty good, considering I live 8 hours away), and my longest visit yet. The place is indubitably enormous, and worthy of multiple visits, without any doubt. My buddy and I rolled into the arcade around 1130 AM on Saturday, converted $50 for game tokens (most games remain .25 to play, though pinball is .50), and game-jammed for about 7 straight hours. This isn't hard to do at Funspot--they claim to have over 300 arcade games (not sure if this counts pinballs and more modern games that aren't strictly retro classics) and many of them are not only legendary, but semi-obscure as well. Even I, who's been playing arcade cabinets since the 1980s, am constantly finding new games on each visit to this awesome spot.

Below are a selection of pictures of just a FEW of the games i played and enjoyed this past weekend. If you're reading this, and have even the slightest interest in the origins of arcade gaming, Funspot is the place for you. Every serious gamer should see this place for themselves--it's literally our origin story, our history as gamers.

Most of my photos are overlarge file sizes--meaning I'd need to resize all of them to post a lot---so I'm dropping this little compendium here for your viewing enjoyment. Feel free to ask with questions or drop me a comment.

Posting a list for your convenience, some super-duper levels of the most ultimate radness--MINE--all for your convenience and immediate playability.

I'm listing them in the order of how exactly rad they are. If you find any of them worthy, I appreciate a 'star'--helps me earn more save slots for future uploads--but i'd be happy if you just play them and provide me any feedback as well. Withhold the stars if i am not worthy, by all means.